SANDY LEON. WHO??? WHO EXACTLY IS SANDY LEON AND WHY NOW?

And this title was hatched before Thursday’s (08/18/2016) heartbreaking 4–3 loss.

(Btw, why not pick up Papelbon just in case… for insurance? Can’t have enough pitching, etc. remember?)

A dearth of reliable relief pitching did in The Olde Towne Team once again and Sandy Leon hit another homer.

Sound familiar?

The former represents a real problem; we’ll get to that.

The latter is nothing short of miraculous.

Blake Swihart, Christian Vazquez, Ryan Hanigan, Bryan Holaday, Sandy Leon.

SANDY LEON. SANDY LEON!!!

What has happened to Sandy Leon?

With one home run over his previous 4 big league seasons and batting averages of .267; .000; .156; and .184 respectively entering the 2016 campaign, Sandy Leon is now a switch-hitting Johnny Bench.

He has 13 more hits this season — 52 at this writing — than he had in his entire Major League career before this.

He is batting .382 with a 1.091 OPS.

How on earth does this work?

It is remarkable.

Mind-boggling really.

Most players (and coaches too, for that matter) will platitude you to death and say something to the tune of, “ABs. I just needed the At-Bats. Y’know it’s tough to establish anything at the plate without consistent ABs. You try to stay ready but it’s hard.”

Not exactly a revelation.

In five Major League seasons — 3 with the Nationals and 2 with the Red Sox including this one — the 27-year-old backstop has 345 official ABs, 136 this year.

Sandy Leon had 209 career official ABs in the Show heading into 2016.

209 !!!

That’s enough big league plate experience to fit on the head of a pin with plenty of room to spare.

It is nothing.

Through injury, the need for more seasoning, roster limitations and a gift from God, Leon eventually got his chance — a real chance without having to look over his shoulder after every pitch — and he ran with it.

Until he cools off with the stick he’s got the tools of ignorance strapped on and he’s in there.

I mean this has to run its course and end sometime, doesn’t it? Doesn’t it?

I wonder what you think if you’re Sandy Leon.

Are you walking on eggshells?

Are you superstitious and suffocated by routine in an effort to keep things going?

(See Wade Boggs).

Or are you wise enough to take each day, pitch and AB as they come, controlling only what you can?

As for this “control” issue, when you’re in the batter’s box you actually do have some control to exercise.

The batter has as much — and sometimes more — control of the AB’s outcome as the pitcher does.

The hitter can be selective and make the pitcher come to him. This is simply a by-product of waiting for your pitch and laying off the others. Pitch recognition along with an understanding of the game situation at the time are critical.

The point is that the batter has a great deal of control; the AB is not a fait accompli unless the batter — or pitcher — make it so.

Therefore when things are not going well at the plate — and baseball is the only game where failing 7 of 10 times constitutes success — it is natural to press.

It’s all mental and there are ways to handle it productively for the team.

As Leon notes, “When I come to the field, see that I’m playing, I tell myself I’m going to do what I can to help the team. It can be anything, like bunting to move a runner. Just trying to do some little things.”

Not only is this the way to think in a team-sport environment, it also alleviates the application of personal pressure which — at times — can be stifling.

Sandy Leon according to no less an authority than the Herald’s Steve Buckley, “…sure looks like [a] no. 1 catcher…by the time this season is over, Sandy Leon is going to be recognized…as a certified, card-carrying big league catcher. Maybe a №1 catcher…This will be one offseason in which Leon needn’t wonder if there will be a big league job for him.”

To which Leon responds, “I’m not trying to do anything crazy, just trying to keep it simple. Keep working, keep playing…I have to keep working so it doesn’t go away.”

For his sake and the sake of The Olde Towne Team, I hope it never goes away.

Not bad for a guy who toted a .187 career batting average in his equipment bag on the way to Spring Training 2016.

As for the Sox’ pitching woes:

Please God, DO SOMETHING!!!

[Editor’s Note: This piece was written by Mr. Kaplan in August 2016.]

ADDENDUM:

Sandy Leon is presently a member of the Cleveland Indians.

His career MLB Batting #s from May 14, 2012 through September 13, 2020 look like this: .217 BA; 27 HRs; & 127 RBI.